One of the factors that make cellular communications via a wireless communication device desirable is the ability make a communication connection with less concerns as to your present location, where the same device can generally connect wirelessly to the network infrastructure with less restrictions as to location while within the boundaries of a coverage area that can include multiple base station transmission sites. This allows one an ability to be mobile and still retain the capabilities of making and maintaining a communication connection via the network infrastructure.
Portable wireless communication capabilities are not only supported by a wireless transmit and receive architecture that involves the ability to transmit and receive a communication signal over distance without a wired connection, but also typically involves some form of power local to the device that can be used to support the operation of electronic circuits used by the device for support of its various functions. More specifically, mobile stations are often conventionally powered by a depletable energy source, such as a battery. In many instances, an at least partially or substantially fully depleted battery can then be recharged to further extend the ability of the battery to provide power to the various electronic circuits of the device. However, in order to be recharged, the device often needs to find an outlet of a main supply for making a wired connection, wherein during the recharging, the mobility of the device can be significantly restricted.
Correspondingly, device users will often get into the habit of recharging their devices during the night when they are sleeping, and they are generally not very mobile, so that in the morning the device will have a full charge at the start of the day. It is further desirable for the charge to last as long as possible thereafter, where ideally the charge will last at least until they are ready to go asleep again the following night in order to minimize the need to recharge their device during the day, when they are generally more active. One potential solution might be to add a sufficiently large battery to support the functioning of the device over the desired period of time. However, there is an equally desired trend to minimize the overall size and weight of the device, where a larger battery will often contribute to an increase in the overall size and weight of the device. Still further, as more features are incorporated into the device, an increased number of power drawing components, such as circuits, are often necessary to support the increase in functionality.
As such, there is a balance between decreasing the amount of power necessary to support an existing function with the increased power requirements associated with adding new, enhanced, or additional functionality, as well as a balance with the size of the battery and the ability of the battery to store and subsequently supply power. One such technique that has been used to try and reduce overall power consumption involves the use of a periodic paging signal constrained to a specific, reduced portion of the overall control channel, which can be used to alert the mobile device of an incoming call or communication. When waiting for an alert of an incoming call, the receiver of the mobile device can be activated for these portions, and, unless otherwise actively communicating with the network infrastructure, can be deactivated during the other portions of the channel in which no signal of interest is expected. However even during these reduced portions of the overall control channels, incoming pages for a particular mobile device can be rare. Correspondingly, the mobile device is often waking up to receive a paging signal during many instances, where there is no incoming page to be received.
From a network perspective, restricting paging messages to a particular portion of the control channel already has the possibility of adding some latency to the actual delivery of the paging message. Furthermore, because the page does not utilize a guaranteed delivery method, it may be necessary to repeat the message one or more times. Still further, because the network may not know with reasonable certainty where a mobile device is located, the page is sent to a tracking area for broadcast that can include 100 or more eNB's or base station type nodes, which represents potentially significant network resources.
However, there are instances in which even when a paging signal is present, that the device and/or the user of the device, is not readily available to benefit from more immediately receiving an incoming communication. In such instances, receiving an incoming communication, sooner, has less present value, because the user in unavailable to receive the current communication at this time. As such, there is less benefit to insuring that an incoming message is received, as soon as it is available.
Correspondingly, the present inventors have recognized that it would be beneficial to reduce even further the monitoring for a paging signal, and thus save even more power by allowing the receiver to remain deactivated for even longer periods of time in instances where the user has been identified as not being available to immediately benefit from receipt of an incoming communication. A set of one or more sensors can monitor the availability of the user relative to the wireless communication device, as well as the corresponding current context of device use, to determine if reducing the monitoring of the paging channel would be beneficial. Most incoming communications are maintained on a server in the communication network until they are received by the device. As such, there may be no urgency to receive the communication, as well as any indication that an incoming communication is awaiting delivery until the user is available to benefit from receiving the incoming communication. In turn, the mobile device could save power by reducing the monitoring of a paging signal in instances, where any resulting increase in latency regarding the notification receipt of an incoming message is of less concern.